- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
- Posts
- 784
- Reaction score
- 699
- Location
- Southern Illinois
- Ram Year
- 2018 Ram Express Quad Cab
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7
Having been a gearhead for many years, I have tried almost all of the mods available on various trucks I have owned.....cai, exhaust, headers, tuners, etc. Etc....
The only two things that really show a significant performance increase are some tuners and ring and pinion gear changes. Most of the rest rest of the mods dont do much, though some folks make wild claims of fantastic mpg increases or dropping 2+ seconds off quarter mile times with a cai.....balogna.
My 2015 Ram hemi got 14 mpg city and 17+ hiway. I installed an 18" magnaflow muffler, kept the resonators, at it sounds really nice....no drone and great rumble.
i then installed an S&B cai which looks great and adds some growling sound at 4-5000 rpms.*
The net result is that the exhaust is a tad louder after adding the S&B, and the 8 speed transmission does not downshift quite as much on the same roads I take every day. It does seem to be just a little more torqey on takeoff from a light, though this might be wishful thinking.
The end result is that I now get 14 mpg city and 17+ hiway.....no change, and I didnt expect any. I like the sound and the looks of the mods, knowing that they really dint add much, if anything to mpg or performance.*
The manufacturers show charts with hp increase in thier advertisements.....notice that any power increases dont show up until 4-5000 rpms. That may all be true, but how many folks drive at 4500 rpms on a daily basis???? I am generally in the 1800 to 2200 rpm range in normal driving unless Im passing some guy on a two lane road....then i might hit 5000 rpms for a few seconds. The hemi does a great job without any mods for this event.
still, I buy the stuff because i just like it, full well knowing that it it generally a waste. Buy, hey, I get to work on my new truck and take it apart and put it back together.....that is just fun!!!*
So, realize what you are paying for and the actual benefits, if any, and enjoy the hell out of your truck!!!!!!!
The only two things that really show a significant performance increase are some tuners and ring and pinion gear changes. Most of the rest rest of the mods dont do much, though some folks make wild claims of fantastic mpg increases or dropping 2+ seconds off quarter mile times with a cai.....balogna.
My 2015 Ram hemi got 14 mpg city and 17+ hiway. I installed an 18" magnaflow muffler, kept the resonators, at it sounds really nice....no drone and great rumble.
i then installed an S&B cai which looks great and adds some growling sound at 4-5000 rpms.*
The net result is that the exhaust is a tad louder after adding the S&B, and the 8 speed transmission does not downshift quite as much on the same roads I take every day. It does seem to be just a little more torqey on takeoff from a light, though this might be wishful thinking.
The end result is that I now get 14 mpg city and 17+ hiway.....no change, and I didnt expect any. I like the sound and the looks of the mods, knowing that they really dint add much, if anything to mpg or performance.*
The manufacturers show charts with hp increase in thier advertisements.....notice that any power increases dont show up until 4-5000 rpms. That may all be true, but how many folks drive at 4500 rpms on a daily basis???? I am generally in the 1800 to 2200 rpm range in normal driving unless Im passing some guy on a two lane road....then i might hit 5000 rpms for a few seconds. The hemi does a great job without any mods for this event.
still, I buy the stuff because i just like it, full well knowing that it it generally a waste. Buy, hey, I get to work on my new truck and take it apart and put it back together.....that is just fun!!!*
So, realize what you are paying for and the actual benefits, if any, and enjoy the hell out of your truck!!!!!!!